1838 Sale of Woman’s Slave Ancestors

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Pat Bayonne Johnson of Spokane, Washington joins Fisher to discuss a story that recently has been making headlines. Pat is an active “genie” and descends from a family of slaves sold by Jesuit priests who, in 1838, ran what is now Georgetown University in Washington, DC. The sale of this family and hundreds of others saved the university from financial ruin. The story has created much discussion over institutional responsibility for both the university and the Catholic Church, discussions on reparation, and a massive genealogical project to find the descendants.